By Mark Ewing Vice President, Global Product Development As I complete my seventh year at ProSoft Technology, the change I have seen is considerable. The tragic passing of our founder, Doug Sharratt; the incredible growth; the growing pains; the new faces; continued worldwide expansion; relocating my family to Bakersfield; new ownership. The list of changes can go on for days, but the one thing that hasn’t changed is our relentless focus on delighting and satisfying our customers. Toward that vision, here are a few examples of our progress in 2014.

Migration Solutions If you are responsible for Control Systems that determine the everyday success of your company, entrusting your livelihood to that 20-year-old equipment could cause a few sleepless nights. You would feel much better with newer equipment and could take advantage of new technology advances to improve your uptime, streamline your production, and lower your costs. But ripping it all out is expensive!

The ProSoft Magazine is a publication of ProSoft Technology, Inc., headquartered at 5201 Truxtun Ave., Bakersfield, California USA. Please address all correspondence to the Editor-in-Chief at the above address. The magazine is published twice a year (Spring and Fall). All trademarks, company names and product names referred to throughout this publication are used for identification purposes only and are the properties of their respective companies. All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced in whole or part without consent of the copyright owner.

The newest addition to the ProSoft Technology migration solutions platform is our family of Media Converters. This truly innovative solution allows the simultaneous transmission of EtherNet/IP™ and Remote I/O™ over your existing Belden Blue Hose® infrastructure, allowing you to avoid expensive infrastructure updates and costly downtime.

SUBSCRIPTIONS: Qualified reader subscriptions are accepted from the Industrial Automation industry at no charge. To apply for a free subscription, fill out the subscription form found at www.prosoft-technology.com/subscription. To non-qualified subscribers in the US and Canada, subscriptions are $20 per year. All other regions are $30 per year.

ProSoft Technology often receives customer requests for application solutions that require some creative technology. Given the increased popularity of Linux in the general marketplace, ProSoft Technology introduced our innovative Linux Development Modules (LDM) for the ControlLogix® and CompactLogix™ controller families. Your imagination is the only barrier to the creative

Enhanced In-Chassis Control

solutions now possible. We also released our IEC 61850 protocol in the ControlLogix® platform to provide an integrated solution for Rockwell Automation®’s Energy focus. We didn’t forget about the CompactLogix™ L1 and POINT I/O™ customers. ProSoft Technology released Modbus® Communications for the POINT I/O™ backplane in both RS232 and RS485 versions for those cost-conscious applications.

Expanded Gateway Protocol Communication Thanks to our customers’ adoption and feedback of our PLX30 and PLX80 gateways, we have expanded the product selections. Our newest additions include a second Ethernet port for our EtherNet/IP™ to Modbus® TCP, EtherNet/IP™ to Siemens® Industrial Ethernet, and Modbus® TCP to Siemens® Industrial Ethernet gateways, and the protocol release of EtherNet/IP™ to PROFINET® IO Device (Slave) gateway.

Comprehensive Wireless Solutions The creative use of wireless to solve application problems is expanding beyond traditional SCADA applications. ProSoft Technology has been providing wireless solutions for over 12 years and continues the expansion of our diverse product line with the release of our ICX30 Cellular Gateway, more features in our Frequency Hopping and 802.11 radios, and a new Radiating Cable antenna. The future is unpredictable and we will continue to adapt to the changes that come with it. One thing that will not change is ProSoft Technology’s continued focus on delighting and satisfying our customers. As we embark on the next phase of ProSoft, it is increasingly clear that we will only increase our focus on customers and drive innovation aligned with their needs as we support them through exciting market transitions. prosoft-technology.com | 3

Editor’s Notes

What happened to customer service?

By Danetta Bramhall Editor-in-Chief

My co-worker, Kim, bought a new refrigerator from a major department store last week. It was the largest refrigerator in the store and the last one in stock of that particular model. She arranged for it to be delivered to her home the next day. Now you all know how this works when you have something like this delivered. They tell you they will be there between 12 and 2 because, after all, you don’t have anything better to do than take off work and wait for a delivery, right? 4 | The ProSoft Magazine

(This is at least better than the cable TV company that tells you they will be there sometime next week or the phone company that you can never get anything out of since you never talk to a live person and finally give up after being stuck in phone-menu hell for 20 minutes.) Anyway…back to my story…The truck shows up at 1:30 and the delivery men proceed to take the refrigerator off the truck. As they unwrap it, Kim

immediately notices that this is not the right refrigerator. She tells the delivery man this and he begins to argue with her. He assures her that it is her refrigerator. She assures him that it absolutely is NOT her refrigerator. This goes on for 20 minutes. She then whips out her cell phone to show him the photos she took of the right refrigerator the day she bought it. The delivery man checks his paperwork and only then decides that, indeed, it isn’t her refrigerator. “Do you have my refrigerator on that truck?” Kim asked. “Well, uh, mmm, let me see…” said the delivery man. He finally decides that her refrigerator is on the truck waaaaay in the back. They wrestle it to the lift gate on the truck and begin to take the wrapping off. To Kim’s disgust, the first thing she sees is a huge dent in the back of the refrigerator. As more wrapping comes off she sees a large scratch on the door handle and several smudges on the stainless door. She points these out to the delivery man who, again, begins to argue with her, saying she bought the refrigerator “as-is.” “But it didn’t have those dents and scratches when I bought it,” she said. “Sorry ma’am,” he said, “but you’ll have to take that up with the store.” To make a long story short, three days later, after working her way up through the chain of command at the store, Kim ended up with a different model refrigerator at a 15% discount. Not exactly great, but for her it was better than staring at dents and scratches on a $2,000 refrigerator. My point in telling this story is that the term “good customer service” seems to be going out of fashion. Instead, mediocre and even bad customer service has become the new norm.

Not so at ProSoft Technology. Maybe it’s because we started as this little mom & pop company and knew most of our customers by name. A lot of “old timers” who were with ProSoft in those days are still with the company. We take a great deal of pride in doing a job well. Take our Technical Support department as an example. Their philosophy is to do whatever it takes to get our customers up and running. Ask anyone who has called ProSoft Technical Support worldwide and they will all tell you the same thing. These guys know their stuff and they love playing Sherlock Holmes and figuring out the root of a problem.

mediocre and even bad customer service has become the new norm.

to their hand 24/7. If you have a question about a specific product and they don’t know the answer, they will find out and…wait for it…call you back. What a concept! I stumbled across some statistics today from ProSoft Technology’s supply chain that I think best sum up our work ethic as it applies to customer service. Did you know that 97% of the products that are ordered from us are delivered on time? It’s the truth! The other 3% are delivered between one and five days after we promised them. Yes, I said days, not weeks. And, we only have .8% of products returned due to defects. Now let me give you something to compare that to. The Food and Drug Administration’s handbook has a list of what are considered acceptable defect statistics for food manufacturers. Raisins: 10 or more whole or equivalent insect parts and 35 fruit fly eggs per every

Not so at prosoft technology.

eight ounces. Frozen strawberries: Average mold count of 45%. Canned mushrooms: Average of over 20

But it starts with our Customer Service Representatives. These are the calm and cheerful voices you first encounter when you call any ProSoft Technology office. They are real, live people who live in your time zone. Not a phone menu with multiple buttons to push.

or more maggots per 100 grams.

You also see it in our worldwide Sales Team. Most of these guys could not tell you the definition of the word “vacation” because they have their cell phone glued

chocolate bar is about 40 grams).

And, this is the one that really gets me since I am known as a chocoholic… Chocolate: Any 100-gram sample contains three or more rodent hairs (a typical

My apologies if I have just ruined your lunch. prosoft-technology.com | 5

Remote Controlled Car Continued But, how many muscle cars do you know that have industrial automation power? Not many. PLCs come to mind when talking about automobiles moving down large-scale automotive assembly lines that piece each part of the car together from start to finish. Controlling functions on the car itself is a different story. Since when does a PLC do that? Since Greg Maskell in Australia integrated them in one of his custom cars. That’s when. 8 | The ProSoft Magazine

windshield wipers

Underneath the hood of this baby isn’t just a powerful engine, but a Rockwell Automation® Programmable Logic Controller and a ProSoft Technology radio. The controller and radio are connected to a PanelView™ Plus 600 HMI through a Hirschmann switch. Originally, Maskell, of Maskells Customs and Classics (owned by Leisa and Shane Chinnock) in Australia, used two ProSoft Technology 900 Mhz radios (that were donated from the local distributor) to operate the whole car remotely. Hood, or bonnet, up, sure. Boot, or trunk, up, no problem. Stereo on, suspension up or down, you got it. “We now have a ProSoft Technology Industrial Hotspot in the car for remote

radio

programming of the PLC and touch screen. We are working on using ProSoft’s i-View iPhone app to operate the car via an iPhone,” Maskell said. The phrase remote control car now has taken on a whole new meaning. Yes, we all have seen cars with the standard remote start function these days. Maskell produces about two to three custom cars a year. “This is the first [PLC] that we have used in a car,” Maskell said. What would have taken 18 toggle switches to remotely control functions of the car can be done with a few pieces of industrial automation equipment. Maskell asked Gary Lomer to build

a system for a custom car based on his industrial automation knowledge. “I used my industrial background to select components that were proven with solid and reliable software and hardware,” Lomer said. “In this particular car, high-tension coil packs of the ignition are under the dash, as is a Rockwell Automation® MicroLogix™ PLC and a ProSoft Technology Industrial Hotspot.” Maskell said they are very happy with the performance of the equipment in the car. “[The PLC] controls all the electrical systems including start up, shut down, fuel pump, thermo fans, water pump, windscreen wipers, windows and the stereo,” he said. Maskell plans on using the PLC/ProSoft industrial wireless car control system more often when a customer decides they want to control their car remotely.

The Psycho took 10,000 man-hours to build. Its owners are from Hobart, Tasmania, on the southern tip of Australia.

application that allows for remote monitoring and control of process values within an EtherNet/IP™ and/or Modbus® TCP/IP network, utilizing a wireless 802.11 (WiFi) and/or cellular network connection. ProSoft i-View provides an interface (HMI) for accessing and monitoring variables (tags) and memory of Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs). Plant engineers, PAC/PLC software developers, and Maintenance personnel now have the ability for live monitoring and control of PAC/PLC-based systems at any time, from everywhere. Although ProSoft i-View is very well-suited for the end user, it is also customizable for Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and system integrators to offer it as an extension to their systems. prosoft-technology.com | 9

Malaysian Offshore Oil Field Upgrades to ControlLogix® The largest offshore oil field in Malaysia, Angsi in the South China Sea, requires the fastest level of data communication so it can continue to produce 40,000 barrels of oil a day quickly, smoothly and efficiently. By Victor Garcia

The Angsi Field consists of one central processing platform and 5 drilling platforms. It will provide fully integrated support for drilling up to 52 wells, with facilities including two gas compression trains, gas lift and dehydration, power generation, water injection, and a 16MW power generation plant. So when the Angsi Field’s legacy GE Fanuc PLC system started showing its age, upgrading to a new Rockwell Automation® ControlLogix® EtherNet/IP™ system was a no-brainer. Forty thousand barrels of oil a day cannot be taken lightly. "The response from the GE Fanuc PLC was getting slower with intermittent faults, so it was decided that replacing the entire system would be the best solution," said 14 | The ProSoft Magazine

Weekeat Ng, INEAX control systems engineer.

seamlessly as if they were both on the same identical network.

Everything but the protection relays would be upgraded, and it had to be done with minimal downtime.

"Our system leverages the ProSoft Modbus® module’s unique features to speed up overall communication between the protection relays and the ControlLogix® system," Ng said.

The Problem The protection relays ran on Modbus®, a non-native Rockwell Automation® protocol. Protection relays are used for protection of electrical load of motors, pumps and other devices, from overcorrect and overvoltage.

The Solution ProSoft Technology's modules made it possible for the ControlLogix® system to communicate to the protection relays as

Ng specifically pointed out the module’s data prioritization features. "This is done by splitting the polled data into critical data with continuous updates and non-critical data with on-demand updates," he said “We would not have been able to do this without the features included in ProSoft Technology’s Modbus® module.”

Modbus® Module for ControlLogix® Part #: MVI56E-MCMR The Modbus® Master/Slave Enhanced Network Interface Module with Reduced Data Block allows Rockwell Automation® CompactLogix™ processors to interface with Modbus®-compatible devices. Since the Reduced Data Block implementation requires less backplane/network bandwidth, the smaller data blocks are easier to schedule and transfer on ControlNet™ networks. This is the ideal solution for remote chassis installations.

Ng added that INEAX is impressed with the level of features available in the ProSoft modules. “These features aren’t normally seen in other third-party solutions.”

We would not have been able to do this without the features included in ProSoft’s Modbus® module.

With the ProSoft Technology Modbus® module, INEAX was able to provide a better and faster solution for the Angsi platform. "The decision to use ProSoft Technology modules was an easy one as we have worked with ProSoft modules for close to 15 years,” Ng said.

These in-chassis solutions act as input/output modules on the ControlLogix® backplane. Two independently-configurable serial ports can operate on the same or different Modbus® networks. Each port can be configured as a Modbus® Master or Slave, sharing the same user-controlled 5000-word database. For additional information on this module, visit psft.com/mcmrpm

Because INEAX has upgraded similar solutions before, it was able to upgrade the Angsi system in record time within a tight downtime window. INEAX (Integrated Network Electrical Automation Expertise) is an expert at oil control systems and recently opened an extension office in Austraila. prosoft-technology.com prosoft-technology.com || 15 15

No matter where you live in the world, if you are near a city of any size you will see concrete. You see it in the sidewalks, foundations of everything from homes to massive skyscrapers and sometimes entire buildings. By Danetta Bramhall

Portland cement is the basic ingredient of concrete and making cement is the specialty of UltraTech Cement Limited in India. In fact, they are India’s largest manufacturer of cement and the eighth largest cement company worldwide. Cement is manufactured using a closely controlled chemical combination of calcium, silicon, aluminum, iron and other ingredients such as fly ash. Fly ash is a by-product of a coal-fired power plant that is used to supplement cement production. That is why some cement plants, like UltraTech, have a coal power plant nearby to have their own source of fly ash while helping supplement the power grid. UltraTech’s Awarpur Cement Works plant in western India needed a cost-effective way to link its SCADA system with the Chandrapur Super Thermal Power Station, a coal power plant approximately 30 kilometers away. “The application demanded high bandwidth due to the distance,” said Aarti Shinde, an engineer with Sheetal Wireless, the systems integrator. “We’ve been using ProSoft Technology’s 802.11 a, b and g radios for many applications, so we knew they were reliable,” he said. They just needed to get the antennas high enough to establish a good line-of-sight connection to traverse the 30

16 | The ProSoft Magazine

kilometers. They elected to mount the antennas on the existing silos, or cement storage containers. It was perfect. A total of four ProSoft radios were installed, including two 2.4 GHz 802.11g radios, which have a higher power rating than the other radios and help boost the signal to reach 30 kilometers, and two 2.4 GHz 802.11abg radios. ProSoft’s technical support service was also a reason why Sheetal Wireless was pleased with the radios. “They have always been informative with a quick response whenever it’s required,” Shinde added. UltraTech’s Cement Works has contributed high-quality cement and concrete to a number of India’s largest infrastructural projects. The Bandra-Worli Sea Link, also located in western India, is a 4.7 km long, twin 4-lane carriageway built using state-of-the-art segmental technology. This project has single-handedly expanded the realm of infrastructural possibilities in India. It is possibly the most ambitious infrastructure project in the country. The quality of cement had to be superlative as the pillars would have to withstand the fury of the ocean’s waves. Therefore the choice, not surprisingly, was UltraTech Cement.

802.11g High Power Radio Part #: RLX2-IHG ProSoft Technology’s 802.11g High Power Industrial Hotspot radio is a The Bandra-Worli Sea Link in western India connects downtown Mumbai to the suburbs. The pillars of the bridge, with concrete provided by UltraTech, are set in the Arabian Sea.

The project connects downtown Mumbai to the suburbs through a bridge whose pillars are based in the Arabian Sea. It has reduced travel time drastically and also helped in decongesting the Mahim Causeway. The Sea Link provides Mumbai’s residents with a commute that is fast and safe. Cement from UltraTech has also been used in the Bangalore Metro rail project. When finished, the project will stretch across 42.3 kms. To achieve efficiency in implementation, the project has been divided into four elevated stretches, each known as a reach. UltraTech has supplied 0.79 lac MT of cement in the first reach of the project, thereby achieving a 100% share of business in the reach. Two underground sections connecting Reach-1 and Reach-2 in the East-West corridor and Reach-3 and Reach-4 in the NorthSouth corridor are still under construction.

high-speed wireless Ethernet radio perfect for long-range applications. It uses the 2.4 GHz band and supports a data rate up to 54Mbps. This Hotspot supports Access Point, Repeater, Bridging and Client modes. If you would like additional information on this radio, please go to psft.com/ihgapmut

802.11abgn Fast Industrial Hotspot Part #: RLX2-IHNF The 802.11abgn Fast Industrial Hotspot provides secure and reliable wireless solutions for plant-floor, SCADA automation, process control systems and mobile worker Wi-Fi infrastructure. It operates in both the 2.4 and 5 GHz bands. The 802.11n technology delivers fast data rates up to 300 Mbps. If you would like additional information on this radio, please go to psft.com/ihnfapmut

The Bangalore Metro rail project has used .79 lac MT of UltraTech cement in the first phase of the project.

prosoft-technology.com | 17

In mining, safety is crucial

18 | The ProSoft Magazine

By Victor Garcia

The roadheader is equipped with tools that grab the rocks and place them on a conveyor before they are sent out of the mine for processing, before ultimately being burned to produce electricity, cement or even steel.

Blades on a large heavy metal circular ball spin at a high rate of motion or speed against hard, metamorphic rocks, causing crushed rock, dirt and, possibly, dangerous levels of invisible methane gas to form. Pressure and speed are adjusted by the person controlling the machine with joysticks and buttons, but this isn’t your next-generation gaming console. This is reality 200 feet below ground in a coal mine. The machine: a roadheader.

Although the cliché “safety first” is said in just about every work environment, it has to be the standard in coal mining, where people are hundreds of feet below ground in a hazardous environment. KFG Electric System in Poland knows this. KFG engineered and installed a modern underground coal mining control system in Poland that could be used anywhere in Europe with the latest safety features for many of the major mining companies, including protection against methane. Methane is a big concern for coal miners as it releases naturally during coal extraction. For years, canaries were used in mines to detect high methane levels. They could not survive in slightly lower than dangerous methane levels for humans. When the bird stopped chirping is when miners knew to flee. For at least four decades, thanks to modern detectors worn by every miner, methane has been detected without killing birds. The controls enclosure that is on the backside of the roadheader measures 1,700x700x600 mm with a weight of 1,200 kg (2,400 lbs), making it rock-solid in an underground mine. It is equipped with a safety Rockwell Automation® Compact GuardLogix 43S, a POINT I/O™ safety adapter and a regular POINT I/O™ adapter. A safety PAC is used for specific instructions, security and safety I/O.

The Problem KFG needed to communicate from the Rockwell Automation® system that natively speaks EtherNet/IP™ to protection relays, EX IO’s and other devices that speak the Modbus® language. Continued next page prosoft-technology.com | 19

Mine Safety Continued

The Solution The operation uses several specialized Modbus® devices from different vendors. Because of this they needed a gateway with multiple ports. ProSoft Technology’s gateway has four Modbus® ports and is fast. KFG chose ProSoft Technology’s EtherNet/IP™ to Modbus® Gateway to communicate from the controller to the protection relays and other remote Modbus® devices. Protection relays sense when there could be trouble via an electrical overload and relay the information to the PAC quickly to shut off the system. “We didn’t want to be beta testers and use a device made by a oneperson company,” Marcin Ptaszny, CEO of KFG Electric System, said. “It was key to have long-term support and availability of the device.” They wanted a proven solution so they chose ProSoft Technology. Port 1 of the gateway is connected to an RTU Master and communicates with overcurrent protectors. Port 2 is connected

20 | The ProSoft Magazine

to an RTU Slave, which is used for the remote radio control system that allows the miner to control the roadheader from a safe distance. Port 3 is connected to an RTU Master and explosion-safe distributed IO system. Port 4 is connected to an RTU slave and communicates to a surface SCADA system. The ProSoft Technology EtherNet/IP™ to Modbus® gateway was easy to configure, diagnose and implement. “This is why the customer loves the Add-On Profile and Add-On Instruction we delivered,” Mr. Ptaszny said. “They are pleased with the implementation of the EtherNet/IP™ to Modbus® gateway, specifically the IO connection allowing really fast data exchange with the IOs and the remote joystick in the roadheader.” Mining is the kind of market that does not implement technological changes quickly. KFG is one of the first companies in the world designing new mining systems this way, using safety IO and a GuardLogix safety controller communicating with numerous protection relays and EX IO’s.

EtherNet/IP™ to Modbus® Serial 4-Port Gateway Part #: PLX31-EIP-MBS4 The EtherNet/IP™ to Modbus® Serial Gateway offers bi-directional data transfers between Modbus Serial and the EtherNet/IP network. These gateways are the ideal solution for distributed networks when adding a remote rack becomes too costly. The PLX31-EIP-MBS4 gateways are stand-alone DIN-rail mounted gateways that provide one Ethernet port for communication, allowing for remote configuration and diagnostics, and up to four (4) serial communication ports. The PLX30 gateways also come with an SD Card slot for storing configuration files. In the event of a failure the SD card can be transferred to another gateway, reducing downtime. For more information on this gateway, go to psft.com/plx31pmmining

What’s Coming to

Automation Fair Continued next page

®

What’s Coming to Automation Fair ® by Danetta Bramhall

If you are a Rockwell Automation® user, then you have been seeing a lot of information lately on the upcoming Automation Fair® in Anaheim in mid-November. Anyone who has attended Industrial Automation shows knows that Automation Fair® is one of those must-see, must-attend, mustexperience tradeshows. Rockwell puts together (with razor-sharp organization) not only a tradeshow but industry forums, technical sessions, workshops and hands-on labs that make for two very full and eventful days. ProSoft Technology is proud to have been a small part of this globally recognized show for more than 20 years and this year will be no exception. If you haven’t registered to attend yet, or you are registered and don’t have your itinerary set for what to see, let me give you a few suggestions…

Migration, Migration, Migration… No matter what industry you predominately work in, chances are the need to accomplish more with less money is a norm. And, the phrase “unscheduled downtime” is enough to make every nerve in an automation

22 | The ProSoft Magazine

engineer’s body so tense it feels as if he were sitting on a ticking bomb. ProSoft Technology will be showing you how to diffuse that bomb with their migration solutions. We call it Phased Migration. Phased, because it happens over a period of time, which changes the dreaded phrase from “extended unscheduled downtime” to “minimal scheduled downtime.” ProSoft Technology will have live demos on the show floor at Automation Fair® that will show you how painless migrating to a new ControlLogix™ or CompactLogix™ system can be. With our growing family of migration gateways you can build and verify your new system BEFORE you switch. The EtherNet/IP™ to Remote I/O™ Industrial Media Converters allow you to upgrade your legacy Allen-Bradley® Remote I/O™ system in phases, eliminating extended downtime because you can schedule your downtime to replace one or multiple nodes at a time. At your pace…on your time table. We will also have several migration experts giving in-booth presentations and at our migration demos who will gladly walk you through how ProSoft’s migration products can help you with your specific application.

Custom Applications for ControlLogix® and CompactLogix™ ProSoft Technology’s Linux Development Modules make it possible for users to easily develop and deploy C/C++ applications that interface with Bar Code Scanners, Legacy ASCII protocols, Terminal Port Emulation, Printer Drivers (Alarm/Status printer), or any other device requiring custom/proprietary Ethernet and serial communications. The most exciting application for this module applies to OEMs who need to write custom algorithms for situations such as weighing applications in a packaging plant. A programmer can write his code to increase the speed of his plant operations without using Ladder Logic. Since only the compiled code is transferred into the Development Module, competitors are unable to see the custom algorithm. If you have the ability to write code in C or C++ using the Linux operating system, then this is the module for you. Experts will be available on the show floor for any questions you may have.

Serial Solutions for CompactLogix™ Legacy CompactLogix™ processors came equipped with a serial port making it easy to connect to your Modbus®, DF1 and ASCII devices. However, the new L3, L2 or L1 CompactLogix™ processors have no serial ports. So how are you supposed to connect to serial networks? That’s easy. ProSoft Technology has in-chassis modules for both L3 and L2 processors that give you instant connectivity to Modbus®, DF1 and ASCII. For the L1 processors we have an in-chassis Modbus® connectivity module and gateways that will connect EtherNet/IP™ to either DF1 or ASCII networks.

Wireless Radiating Cable If you are looking for a wireless solution in applications such as monorail systems, overhead cranes or through tunnels where it is tough for traditional antenna systems to operate, we may have a solution for you. Radiating cable (also known as Leaky Feeder) is specially designed to radiate 802.11 signals in both the 2.4 and 5 GHz bands. The cable is actually a long, flexible antenna with slots that radiate RF signals. (Think of a soaker hose in your garden.) The cable can be mounted overhead so that RF signals remain constant for wireless moving equipment. This Radiating Cable has been tested for compatibility with ProSoft Technology’s 802.11 Fast Industrial Hotspots. Continued next page

prosoft-technology.com | 23

What’s Coming to Automation Fair ® Continued Stop by our wireless demo station and we’ll be happy to talk you through your application.

Energy, Oil & Gas and Water/Wastewater Applications In the ProSoft Technology booth you will also find live demonstrations on common application scenarios in a number of industries including Energy (featuring IEC 61850 and DNP3), Oil & Gas (featuring our in-chassis Flow Computers and wireless solutions), and Water/Wastewater (featuring SCADA solutions).

24 | The ProSoft Magazine

NEED SOME HELP UNDERSTANDING

how to implement one of Prosoft Technology’s modules?

THEN CHECK OUT OUR LIBRARY OF TUTORIAL VIDEOS AT

www.psft.com/magazinetraining2

ProSoft Profiles Barb Brunswick

Information Technology & Business Intelligence Manager Location Bakersfield, California Education Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science from the University of Minnesota; Masters of Science and Technology Management from Pepperdine University, Malibu, CA In 2004, while working down in the Los Angeles area for a small company that handled insurance claims software, Barb Brunswick realized it was time for a change. “I lived next to a rocket scientist and a couple of doctors. Not to be mean, but they were snooty. I didn’t fit in with that,” Barb said. “I needed a smaller town mindset.” You see, Barb grew up in Minnesota and wasn’t used to the big-city atmosphere that Los Angeles provided. She says she can’t help but laugh when thinking about her first day at ProSoft Technology 10 years ago (back then she worked in engineering). That first day her phone rang. Somehow a technical support call had mistakenly been transferred to her.

“When I got to ProSoft, they had a new computer, computer monitor and my very own set of file folders waiting for me,” Barb said. “I was thrilled. At the last place, when you ran out of copy paper, you were just out.” Barb loves working at ProSoft Technology, she said. She was Engineering Project Coordinator for 7 years before transitioning into her current role in IT. “I get to talk to people worldwide and work on projects that make people more efficient. I love doing that.” Barb enjoys her job at ProSoft because it’s data-driven just like the products we

produce. “What’s really cool about ProSoft for me is I look at it as the free market at its finest. We have products. We sell them. We analyze the competition. We have a lot of data, and I love that,” Barb said. “If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.” Barb’s hobbies include swimming and hanging out with her family. “My daughter just started junior high. My hobbies are whatever she’s doing,” Barb said. “We really like to do a lot of arts and crafts.” Barb would like to say she’s a gardener, too, but she admits that hasn’t gone so well. “I figure there’s all this stuff growing in Bakersfield, so I must be able to grow something,” she laughed. “So far, I don’t have a very green thumb.”

“The guy on the phone said, ‘I am standing on an oil rig off the east coast of Africa, and I need help configuring my Modbus® module’.” She said it was shockingly apparent to her that she was no longer working at a tiny software company, but a technology company that makes protocol connectivity solutions for a worldwide audience. She was in for another surprise when she came to ProSoft, but this one wasn’t from some remote area off the coast of Africa. At her previous company, new office equipment and supplies were in short supply. When she came to ProSoft that changed. 26 | The ProSoft Magazine

Location Australia Education Bachelor of Arts & Masters of Engineering from the University of Cambridge, England Kuan Chee Choun plays the piano, writes and sings music, and is learning how to skateboard. He’s also a food connoisseur. “I enjoy traveling, but enjoy eating more. Asia is an endless food trip for those who can stomach what it has to offer: I’ve had locusts in Thailand, duck embryo in the Philippines and snake in China,” he said. Kuan started at ProSoft Technology in 2004 as the Business Development Manager, overseeing marketing sales and tech support for all Asia Pacific countries except China. He was employee number 2 in the Asia Pacific Malaysia office. He took a break to join an enterprise software company, but returned to ProSoft after two years because it felt “more like home.” Kuan is currently Sales & Technical Support Manager, overseeing his team in sales, marketing and technical support in Asia Pacific. Kuan enjoys working at ProSoft Technology because of the people who work here. “I like that in ProSoft everyone does his or her part, and does it very well,” Kuan said. “Every small part works together to make the entire enterprise a success. Even though ProSoft has been around for more than 20 years, there is still a startup vibe and a can-do attitude from most people in the company.”

During his time at ProSoft, Kuan has had several experiences, some of which will make you laugh, and one that could make you cringe.

“Even though ProSoft has been around for more than 20 years, there is still a startup vibe and a cando attitude from most people in the

chatted with the customer for an hour about the dos and don’ts of installing wireless including what gateways and subnet masks were. “When I finally put down the phone, the passenger beside me thanked me because, after eavesdropping on my phone call, she had finally figured out how to set up her home WiFi,” he said. Another technical support call took Kuan smack-dab into a meat meal processing plant. A meat meal plant grinds up bones, carcass and feathers of dead animals and processes them into dried powder to be fed back as protein to the livestock. “Without getting into too much gory detail, it was a long time before I could eat a sausage, burger, chicken nugget or any form of processed meat. “If you need some motivation to eat fresh food, visit your local food processing plant.

company.” Kuan was taking a boat across Sydney’s Darling Harbour on a sunny Saturday with views of the Sydney Opera House on the left and the Harbour Bridge on the right when his cellphone rang. A customer was having trouble connecting two refurbished wind turbines in his farm using wireless. “Setting up refurbished wind turbines in your farm on a weekend is just the sort of thing Australians do,” he said. Kuan